If the houses were all abandoned he could simply break into one of them and...

The street lights flickered and went off.

For a moment Flax stood stock still. Then he began to edge slowly over to the nearest of the illuminated houses.

The building lights down that side of the street went off.

His nerve failing, he turned in the other direction.

The rest of the street was plunged into darkness and he stumbled to a halt, reaching out to find a wall before he ran into it. The only light now was from the skyglow that hung over the city.

And then he heard a noise.

It was a faint rasping, clicking sound and it was growing steadily closer.

With Barbara's arm slung across her shoulder, Susan guided her through the doorway of a small cafe. It was dimly lit but deserted. She sat Barbara down, pulled a dusty tablecloth off the nearest table and draped it over her friend's trembling shoulders.

Susan looked about her intently. There was a dispensing machine mounted on one wall advertising a selection of pre-packed drinks and sweet and savoury snacks. Determinedly, Susan picked up a chair and smashed its front panel so she could reach inside. She pulled out a handful of chocolate bars and several airtight plastic tubes of fruit drink. She unwrapped a bar, sniffed it cautiously, then helped Barbara guide it into her mouth. Then she wolfed down a bar herself.

Fifteen minutes of gorging on chocolate and fruit juice brought the colour back to Barbara's cheeks. Meanwhile Susan used more tablecloths to dry her and clean the worst of the mud from her clothes. Finally Barbara wiped her mouth and, sounding more like her usual self, said: 'Thanks. I really needed that. I haven't eaten since we got here.'

'I haven't either,' Susan admitted, starting on another chocolate bar, 'but I think I've spent longer sleeping than you have... and at least I managed to stay dry.'

'How did you get here? And where did you find those clothes?'

Susan told her story.

'...so after clambering up airshafts for what seemed like hours I eventually came out of an intake vent in a sort of deserted industrial site. I was wandering around trying to decide which way to go when I heard you calling Ian's name.

Do you know where he is? And Grandfather?'

'I did see Ian briefly... but that was hours ago.'

Barbara then summarised her own harrowing adventures to which Susan listened with wide-eyed interest and appropriate sympathy.

When she finished Susan said: 'At least what happened to you makes sense. But how did I get on to that rubbish conveyor?' She looked at one of the minor dressings on the back of her hand and scratched it. It peeled away easily to reveal perfectly healed skin beneath. 'Why treat me then throw me away with the rubbish... unless they thought I was dead.'

'But Ian and the Doctor would never have allowed that,'

Barbara said firmly. 'And I know Ian was all right when I saw him... he had a sort of miner's helmet on and that robot thing with him, so he must have found help.'

'Then where is it? Where is is everybody?' Susan asked. everybody?' Susan asked.

'This place must have been deserted for months. And n.o.body's gone past since we've been here. I thought the city felt odd from the start.'

Barbara rubbed her watchstrap absently. 'We must get back to the city centre. I think that rocket is very important.'

'But won't Ian be searching in this area if he's followed the line of the drainage tunnels?'

'He might be miles away. If we get back outside maybe we can find him.' Barbara stood up rather shakily, pulling her improvised blanket about her like a cape.

Susan looked at her doubtfully. 'Shouldn't you rest more first?'

'No, I'm feeling much better. Maybe we can stop a car when we come to a main road.'

'They didn't take much notice of us before.'

'Well, we can find a telephone box and call the emergency services.' Barbara blinked. 'Shouldn't there be a phone in here? Maybe it's still working.'

'I shouldn't think so,' Susan said. 'In advanced societies everybody has their own pocket phones.'

'What, everybody?'

'Well, I suppose there might be a few public booths left.'

'Then let's find one. Wait a minute.' She picked up a sauce dispenser from a side table, then they went out on to the street. Barbara used it to write another symbol on the large cafe window, then stepped back to admire the result. 'There.

Just in case Ian does come this way.'

They looked about them. The rows of lighted buildings devoid of any sign of life or movement were unsettling, and the two women automatically edged a little closer to each other.

'If we can get on to some open ground we should be able to see that giant rocket,' Barbara said. 'That'll give us something to aim for.'

Fortunately they didn't have far to go. From the end of the street they saw the dark expanse of a small park and walked along to it. Its gra.s.s and shrubs were overgrown, but from its centre they could see the spire of the rocket between the trees.

They were deciding which way led most directly towards the Ship when the lights around the park went out.

They stood very still. The park was ringed by the silhouettes of darkened buildings and the shadows among the trees and bushes were inky black.

'Was there anything in front of us?' Barbara asked.

'I don't think so.'

'Then hold my hand and we'll go forward carefully. We'll be all right when we reach the street.'

They had hardly gone ten yards when Susan started at a slight sound. 'What was that?'

'Probably a bird.'

But then the sound came again and this time Barbara heard it as well. Some large body was moving through the gra.s.s. The two girls clung together as a rustling whisper grew steadily louder. But its source was impossible to place in the darkness and they hesitated for a few brief seconds, unsure of which way to run. The sound was coming from all around them.

Two glowing red eyes blinked out of the darkness and they heard a terrible antic.i.p.atory hiss of indrawn breath.

With barely stifled screams they turned from the dreadful sight and ran, only to collide with a pulsating leathery barrel of a body that lay across their path. As they recoiled from this new horror there was a heavy swish and smack, like the crack of a huge whip. Barbara screamed and Susan had the impression of her struggling form being dragged across the gra.s.s towards the eyes. There was a howling rush of air, a snap and she was gone.

Before Susan could take in what had happened the eyes blinked into being again and glided towards her. With a whiperack the thing's tongue lashed out, caught her round the waist and jerked her off her feet. The hiss became a roar as huge jaws opened. The tongue contracted and, kicking and screaming, Susan was sucked into a monstrous slimy gullet.

Ian was shining his torch down the tenth manhole they had uncovered when Lant's phone rang.

Lant listened intently for a minute then rang off.

'I asked to be informed of anything unusual in this area,'

he said quickly. 'Well, there have just been two unexplained power failures close together.'

'What does it mean?'

'I've no idea, but I'm going to take a look. Coming?'

It occurred to Ian that the incident might just have something to do with Barbara. If it didn't he could come back later. 'Yes, I'll come.'

Lant's driver sent the car hurtling through the deserted streets, squealing round corners, towards the location of the latest power failure. Ian saw the captain checking his side-arm.

'You think there might be something dangerous out there?'

'Maybe. I've been examining the records today. Over the last year or so there have been some odd sightings in the Outer Zone and a few people have gone missing.'

'Including NC2s?'

'Perhaps.'

They slowed slightly as they entered the target area. The lights were still out but Lant's car had independently steerable spotlights mounted on its roof. They trained them up each street as they pa.s.sed.

Suddenly Lant's driver called out: 'Something there, sir!'

At the same time he whisked the car about and sent it racing down a side road.

Ian had a momentary impression of a black hulking form crossing the far end of the road.

They turned in the direction it had gone and again Ian glimpsed something in the distance but could not make out any details. Whatever it was, it was moving very fast.

'Can't you call up a helicopter or something?' Ian said, bracing himself as they raced along in pursuit.

'I want to see what we're dealing with first before I involve anyone else,' Lant said.

The chase wound through twisting side roads. Slowly they began to close the gap between them and their quarry. But the thing, whatever it was, remained impenetrably black and shapeless, almost like a racing shadow.

'What is it?' Ian exclaimed. 'A car... or an animal?'

'We'll find out soon enough,' said Lant, consulting the glowing map screen he held in his hand. 'That turn leads to a dead end.'

They screeched around the corner in time to see the shadow vanish round the next bend.

'Got it!' said Lant.

Hardly five seconds later they turned the same bend. In front of them their headlights illuminated a three-sided yard formed by the blank, high back-walls of adjacent buildings.

It was absolutely empty.

The car stopped and they got out, staring about them in disbelief.

'Well, it can't just have vanished,' Ian said. 'Could it fly, do you think?'

'Then why didn't it do so earlier? No. There's a trick to it and I'm going to find out what.'

But even as he started forward his pocket phone rang. He listened for a moment and his face set. He rang off and looked at Ian.

'It's your friend, Susan. She's been kidnapped.'

Chapter Twenty.

Investigation 'I went down to check on Susan while I was on my break from intensive care,' Nyra Shardri explained to the intent group of people gathered in Mayor Draad's office. 'Well, she was my patient and she is something of a celebrity. While I was there a man came in who said he was from City Hall... he showed us his government pa.s.s before we even asked to see it, so we had no reason to doubt him. He said that they were holding a surprise function in honour of our visitors and wondered if Susan would be well enough to attend.

'Susan wanted to go, so the ward supervisor and I checked her latest tests and decided it would be all right for a few hours, as long as she didn't get too tired. She got dressed and we saw her driven off in a car that looked just like the official ones. And that was the last we saw of her.

'A couple of hours later, just when we were wondering when she would be coming back, the Doctor arrived. Then we realised what had happened.' Nyra looked at the Doctor. 'I'm so sorry.'

'Needless to say my office did not send any car, neither was there any special function planned,' Draad said heavily.

Ben thought he looked desperately tired. He must have enough worries without the kidnapping of his guests.

'I do not doubt it, Mayor,' said the Doctor. 'But who is responsible? What about those men who tried to talk to her the other day... Bishop Fostel and his archdeacon? Would they commit such a crime just to question Susan about her religious beliefs?'

Ben said: 'It is possible, Mayor. Fostel made it very clear he considered it his right to question Miss Foreman. He was certainly angry enough when I stopped him. But I didn't suspect he'd try anything as bold as this.'

'Maybe you underestimated his determination,' said Ian.

'Fostel was holding services throughout the evening,' said Draad, 'and they were broadcast live. He could not have been personally involved.'

'Then perhaps it was somebody acting for him,' said the Doctor testily. 'Who else in Arkhaven would have any cause to kidnap Susan? We understand something of the tension that exists between you, but he does seem the most likely suspect.

He must be questioned at once.'

'I would need a very good reason for disturbing Fostel in the small hours of the morning,' Draad said. 'You must realise that I simply cannot make such an accusation without absolute proof... perhaps not even then. He's turned my own argument against me. For the sake of the city, even if Fostel is responsible, I cannot risk the disruption such a revelation would cause. Meanwhile he can save face in the eyes of his followers by getting away with this little victory.'